The Mountain of Despair

The Mountain of Despair

NPS Antoine Thomas

Quick Facts

Location:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Designation:

National Park

Amenities

2 listed

Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Wheelchair Accessible

Understand the size of the obstacle that was in the way of those seeking fairer equality for social and economic opportunities. 

Appreciate the courage and perseverance it took to get past the obstacle. 

Dr. King firmly believed in effecting social and economic change through nonviolent protest. Peaceful protesters, however, were often met with brutality. Consider the striation grooves in the stone. Do you think they can be interpreted as scars, both physical and psychological, that were inflicted on those who participated in the struggle to get past the obstacle of oppression that was in their way? 

Look at the stone up close. The “Pink Shrimp Granite”, comprising the Mountain of Despair and the Stone of Hope, consists of various colors coming together within the granite. It represents not only the diversity that Dr. King was bringing together in the Civil Rights Movement, but also the diversity that the builders of the memorial wanted to see reflected in the visitors.